Bilateral Locked Posterior Fracture-Dislocations of the Shoulders Following a Seizure

• DOI: 10.2106/jbjs.cc.24.00569
• Publication Date: 2025-04-17T18:00:27Z
• Authors: Diane Ghanem; Jayden Simo; Henry Fox; Daniel Badin; Babar Shafiq

Case: A 34-year-old man presented with bilateral locked posterior shoulder dislocations associated with proximal humerus fractures secondary to a tonic-clonic seizure. The patient underwent open reduction and internal fixation of both shoulders. At 1 year postoperatively, the patient exhibited near-complete recovery of shoulder function with no pain, excellent radiographic outcomes, and no evidence of early avascular necrosis (AVN) or hardware complications.

Conclusion: While this injury's sequelae can be devastating, an interdisciplinary approach may help optimize outcomes, and a prompt reduction with stable fixation may facilitate earlier fracture healing and rehabilitation progression, potentially contributing to a lower likelihood of AVN.